Sattar Yerubaev museum

Sattar Yerubaev was a writer in Soviet Kazakhstan whose life was brief but impactful. Living only to the age of 23, Yerubaev succumbed to tuberculosis, his health weakened after years of study in Leningrad, much like Chokan Valikhanov.

Yerubaev attended school in an old Russian building, which now houses the museum dedicated to his memory. However, the museum itself is not solely about Yerubaev; it serves more as a regional museum, showcasing diverse information about the area. In contrast to the polished new museums in Turkestan, this modest space feels genuinely trustworthy.

The museum is free to visit and offers an authentic glimpse into Yerubaev’s life. Personal items, various gifts, vintage photographs, and a collection of historical objects fill its rooms. Without the spectacle of modern exhibitions, it stands as a true provincial museum, honest in its simplicity. Located at 2 B. Sattarkhanov Street, Turkestan, the museum presents history with integrity.

Sattar Yerubaev (1914-1937)

Born in the Turkestan region of South Kazakhstan Province and raised in an orphanage, Sattar Yerubaev was a gifted writer and respected journalist, leaving behind a modest but cherished literary legacy. Between 1934 and 1935, he worked in Karaganda, dedicating much of his journalism and literature to the city and its miners. Poetry holds a special place in Yerubaev’s body of work; he was among the first in Kazakh literature to write parodies, creating epigrams and ballads such as Report on Life, Autumn Fragment, Pearl, On Immortal Life, and Three Miners. These brief yet deeply poignant works cement Yerubaev’s standing among the talented poets of his era.

Yerubaev also focused on prose, exploring the human spirit in his stories, essays, novellas, and journalistic articles. He authored the Literature Reader for Tenth Grade in Kazakh schools, and his posthumously published novel My Contemporaries (1939) became widely popular among Kazakh readers, with several reprints. In 1957, a collection of his selected poems, novellas, short stories, and essays was published, further preserving his literary contributions.

Passing away in 1937 at only 23, Yerubaev’s legacy endures, a small but invaluable contribution to Kazakh literature.